2001 Dodge Dodge Truck

IN AUG OF 2004 I PURCHASED A 2001 DODGE DURANGO SLT FROM PIEDMONT CHRYSLER DODGE HERE IN ANDERSON SC. THIS VEHICLE NOW HAS 45000 MILES ON IT. AFTER HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE TRANSMISSION, I TOOK IT TO A AAMCO, AS THIS WAS THE CLOSEST TO WHERE I WAS LOCATED AND THE VEHICLE WAS LOCKED IN 2ND GEAR. THEY DID A DIAGNOSTIC TEST ON IT AND TOLD ME THAT THE TRANSMISSION WOULD HAVE TO BE REBUILT AS THEY THOUGHT THE 3RD GEAR WAS OUT. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP ON FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2005 AND MADE AN APED TO BRING THE CAR TO THEM ON MONDAY 14TH. THE SERVICE MANAGER JIM CALLED ME AND TOLD ME THAT THEY HAD LOOKED AND DROVE MY VEHICLE AND I DID HAVE PROBLEMS WITH THE TRANSMISSION (IT IS AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION ) AND THEY WERE GOING TO ASK DAIMLERCHRYSLER TO ASSIST WITH THE COSTS DUE TO THE LOW MILES ON THE VEHICLE BUT IN ORDER FOR THEM TO DIAGNOSE IT THEY HAD TO "DROP THE PAN" WHICH WOULD COST ME $85. THIS MORNING, TUESDAY NOVEMBER 15TH JIM CALLED ME AND TOLD ME THAT THEY DROPPED THE PAN AND HAD FOUND THAT BOLTS IN THE TRANSMISSION HAD COME LOOSE AND HAD ACTUALLY FELL INTO THE CLUTCHES. THIS IS A $2800 REPAIR! I THEN ASK THEM IF THERE WAS ANY WAY THAT THIS COULD HAVE DUE TO MY FAULT? HE SAID ABSOLUTELY NOT THAT THIS WAS A MAJOR DEFECT IN THIS VEHICLE. HE ADVISED ME TO CALL DAIMLERCHRYSLER AND ASK THEM FOR ASSISTANCE WHICH I DID. I EVEN CONFERENCED HIM IN SO HE COULD TELL THEM THE "TECHNICAL" ISSUES INVOLVED. BOB CLARK WAS THE REP WE TALKED TO AND HE WAS VERY RUDE EVEN TO THE POINT TO TELL ME THAT DUE TO THE MILEAGE BEING OVER 36000 MILES AND THAT I WAS THE SECOND OWNER OF THIS VEHICLE THAT I SHOULD HAVE PURCHASED AN EXTENDED SERVICE AGREEMENT! I THEN ASK TO SPEAK TO SOMEONE WITH HIGHER AUTHORITY AS JIM AND I WERE SHOCKED TO HIS RUDENESS AND INABILITY TO HELP US. I THEN ASKED FOR HIS CORPORATE OFFICE WHICH HE REFUSED TO GIVE ME. AFTER DOING RESEARCH ON DAIMLERCHRYSLER, IN FACT WHILE DOING THIS RESEARCH, I FOUND THAT I WAS NOT THE ONLY PERSON HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THEM. *NM

AT AROUND 60K MILES, I WAS EXPERIENCING A SHIFTING LATENCY AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND OCCASIONAL POWER LOSS WHEN I TRIED TO ACCELERATE OR GO IN REVERSE. TOOK IT IN TO THE LOCAL AAMCO WHERE THEY SAID THAT I HAD HIGH LEVELS OF METAL SHAVINGS IN THE FLUID, AND THAT I NEEDED TO HAVE THE TRANSMISSION REBUILT. COST WAS $2800 NOT INCLUDING THE WARRANTY THAT I PURCHASED THROUGH THEM. FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND (FROM THE DODGE FORUMS I FREQUENTLY VISIT) THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE SECOND GENERATION RAM'S, AND ONE THAT CHRYSLER SEEMS TO IGNORE. PERHAPS THAT IS WHY THEY ONLY WARRANTED THESE TRUCKS FOR 3 YEARS/36000 MILES. *JB

WHILE DRIVING I HEARD A HIGH PITCH SQUEAL AND HAD A DECREASE IN PERFORMANCE.I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER TO FIND OUT THAT A FAULTY RETAINER CLIP IN THE DRIVE HOUSEING "PUMPKIN" BROKE.WITH THIS CLIP NOT IN PLACE AND "FLOATING AROUND IN THERE IT CAUSED METAL SHARDS TO WHICH IN TURN CAUSED SEVERE DAMAGE IN THE REAR END. I BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE IN JANUARY "04 WHICH IT WAS SUPPOSEDLY INSPECTED THEN. I WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS SEVERE GROOVING FOUND IN THE "PUMPKIN". NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE TO FIX THIS, MY TRUCK HAS BEEN SITTING AT TEH DEALERS FOR 2 WEEKS. WHEN I CALLED DAIMLER CHRYSLER ,WHICH WAS RECOMMENDED BY THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER THAT THESE THINGS DON'T JUST BREAK LIKE THAT , I WAS TOLD THAT DAIMLER CHRYSLER WAS NOT GOING TO PAY FOR IT TO BE FIXED AND WAS HUNG UP ON. OTHER ISSUES THAT HAVE BEEN ENCOUNTERED WITH THIS TRUCK ARE A WHOLE NEW TRANSMISSION,AIR INTAKE COUNTLESS THROTTLE POSITION SENSORS. I WAS TOLD THAT WHENI BOUGHT THIS TRUCK THAT I WAS BUYING A METICULOUSLY TAKEN CARE OF TRUCK.*AK